A Thief's Plight
by Rune The Secret Child
Summary: A young girl living the life of a thief, runs into The Prince one day and becomes his unwilling escort. Later she becomes the Royal Guards' Captains apprentice as a Boy! Will the Prince recognize her? What will become of her life? Indefinite Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

A Thief's Plight

**A Thief's Plight**

**Chapter One**

"You there!" shouted the rotund stall guard "Git yer grubby paws offa that!" I squeaked and quickly ran, ducking behind one of the tapestries being sold in another stall and through the hole behind it. I was glad now that I had chosen to scout the area, posing as one of the many servants out to do their master's shopping… '_oh I'm sorry I mean __**employers**__'. _ I sneered at the thought; just because the stupid pansies had a roof over their heads and a table to eat at, never mind that they actually had food… I shook myself; '_Don't think about that; no use moaning about what you don't have'_ I told myself sharply. '_But still, they don't have to be so smug about it!'_ I absent-mindedly climbed up the wall to hide in the little niche beside an arch. I listened to the guard grumble on the other side of the wall. "Damn little rat! Stealin' what us hard workers deserve…" I almost snorted from my hiding spot- hard workers indeed. I was suddenly reminded of some rich scholar I had once heard telling all who would listen about a cave and light and both being blinding, or something like that…. Eh, I was more interested in any jewels he might have had at the time, so I didn't really listen. I listened some more as Fatty finally found the hole and let out a great "AHA!" I stood stock still as I waited for him to pass, and pass he did; I almost fell over laughing from watching the Fat Lug waddle faster than his great bulk should allow. Thinking back I wondered if Fatty and I were both blind to each other's reality; after all, I supposed he really does think that he works hard and when he looks at me it must seem like I have an easy life, not paying for things.

"Mitsu!" I heard a bright voice chirp from below "d'ya have any food? The guard is gone now and 'm hungry." I jumped down from my perch, briefly lamenting the passing of a serious thought and casually remarked, "Well I did, but I don't think I have any for you…" I slyly pulled the loaf of bread from behind my back. Birdy's eyes grew large and she exclaimed, "Wow that's humongous! Mommy'll be able t' make that last a week at least! Oh yeah, speakin' of Mommy, she give me this!" I accepted the package she proffered, regarded the bread and estimated that it would last the girls family maybe two days, then smiled at the exuberant girl's sincerity. "Well Thank your Mom for me 'kay?" I replied this time regarding the package carefully, I knew that it contained some dried meat, probably from one of the cows that the family owned, most likely one of the ones that was getting old… I once again turned my thoughts towards the meat I held in my hands, choosing to not worry about where it came from, and decided that if I rationed it carefully, it would last me about a week. I remembered a time when such a meal would have never entered my sight, while the other, _English,_ children would have more than enough; but I had long since escaped that hellhole. "Hey kiddo, I'm glad that your family is finally doing so well" I remarked. It was true- for the family to have been able to give this much to me; their farm must be doing well. I saw a flash of sorrow pass through those young eyes and regretted reminding her that I lived on the streets, and somehow I knew that she knew that I had never before had something like this living at the orphanage. The look disappeared and she grabbed my hand to drag me to the market so that she could help me get to my lair without arousing suspicion. I smiled and we began our game. I jumped at her, exclaiming that I would "get you for that you little brat!" We both giggled as we darted back into the Market place and I attempted to keep an 'angry' face.

We wove in and out of the crowd as we headed towards our goal: an alleyway with a hidden entrance in the back leading towards a forgotten basement underneath the guards' barracks. When they rebuilt on top of the store houses the Mason's decided that it was too much trouble to fill in the area (not to mention that it was cheaper). Oh well, it benefits me now. As I became lost in thought, I stopped focusing on our game and became more rambunctious, until a shopkeeper startled me out of my contemplation with a sharp yell, "Hey Girlie watch where yer goin'!". I suddenly became aware that I had come very close to running into a horse, and I darted to the side just in time to miss it… and ran directly into the Royal Guard beside the carriage being pulled by the horses. 'Aw, crap' I thought to myself, 'the day I let my guard down just so happens to be the very same day royalty decides to visit the town and I just happen to run into the guard…' "What is going on out there, Killian?" a harsh, crow-like voice called out from within the carriage. "Just a child, Milady, nothing to worry about", the man's deep voice called out. "Are you well, little one? You look pale," He queried. At this moment Birdy noticed that I was no longer chasing her, she took in my pale face and the guard holding me and came running over and began to beat her tiny fists against his leg screaming "Don' make Mitsu go back there, I won' let ya make 'er go back t' tha' place!".

At this point the guard got a peculiar look on his face and seconds afterwards the carriage door opened, revealing the Queen Aeronwen and her son, Prince Alvar. The Prince knelt down and asked Birdy, "Little One, what upsets you so?" Birdy blinked up at him and mumbled through her tears, "You're gonna take 'er back t' th' orph'nage!" The poor girl, I wanted to kneel down and comfort her, but I was just as terrified that that was indeed what they were going to do. The Prince looked startled and looked up at me, and the slightly hysterical thought hit me that the Prince was actually kneeling before me popped out of nowhere. He then spoke, "Is this true? You fear being taken to an orphanage?" for a moment I was tempted not to answer, but the Queen was right there and I could acutely feel the guard's presence behind me. "Yes, your Majesty; no offense to you and your family, your Majesty." I took a deep breath, "I don't mean to be disrespectful, your Majesty, but the orphanage is not a pleasant place, not that I am disapproving of Her Majesty's choice for overseer; they constantly tell me that I am far too picky and I know that I should be grateful for the kindness Her Majesty shows orphans such as myself and it is very kind of her and…" The Prince cut me off. Good thing too, for I had begun to babble. "Mother" he spoke to the Queen, "Perhaps you should continue on with your trip without me; this is intriguing."

The Queen raised one cruel eyebrow and spoke with her crows' voice, making it clear that the Prince must have gotten his smooth rumble from his father. "Very well, my Son, but know that such frivolous behavior will not be tolerated when you take the throne." He smiled and replied easily, "Yes Mother, I know". Before he had even finished his sentence, the Queen had closed the carriage door and ordered the coach to drive off, the guard on the other side moving with her. As soon as the Queen's carriage was out of sight, the guard, _Killian_, I reminded myself, released me, saying, "Sorry 'bout tha' miss, I didn' mean to be so rough wit ya." Unfortunately, the minute he let go of me the instincts that I had honed for years kicked in and I ran away as quickly as I could… until I remembered that Birdy was still with them and I ran back past them, grabbing Birdy on the way. I ran as fast as I could until I reached the stall that Birdy's Mother was minding. I dropped her off then scampered away again as I heard the Prince shout for me to "wait!" I reached one of my favored escape holes and darted through it, only to be stopped. I struggled for minutes as Killian attempted to subdue me gently, silently damning myself for forgetting about Birdy that first time. The prince caught up quickly and darted through the hole to where I was being restrained.

He approached as if I were both a rabid dog and a small child; "It is all right, we do not wish to harm you and we promise you that we will not return you to any orphanage. We simply wish to speak with you." I looked at him warily and slowly nodded my head, "But no tricks right? And you will leave Birdy alone?" He smiled gently, "We promise; now why don't you take us somewhere peaceful to talk." I nodded again, this time more eagerly, "Follow me, I know the perfect place." I led him through the nicest parts of the city that I knew to my secret place. It was on the roof of a building I had long known about; there was a garden there and in return for being allowed to come here, I always did some gardening for the owner. "Here," I said "this is the perfect place to talk" I watched and noticed that he did not even ask if we were allowed to be up here, '_Hmph, stupid royalty, so accustomed to luxury that they do not even worry about invading someone else's garden…_' "Wonderful. So how is it that you seem so much more cultured than most peasants? Your speech is much smoother than that of most people who live in the city." For a moment I bristled, then relaxed; it was true after all. "I taught myself, your Majesty, I had dreams of a better life when I was younger and so I prepared myself…" I blushed; not even Nobles needed to speak well, which would mean that…. Uhoh… "I did not mean to seem presumptuous your Majesty; I was just a child at the time and did not know any better!" He held up his hand and silenced me, "It is fine … Mitsu is it? And no need for such formalities, please, you should not call me 'Majesty'; I would much prefer that you just call me Alvar." I gaped at him, "It would not be proper for me to be so disrespectful!"

He sighed deeply, "Would you at least say my name, I do not wish to be nameless". He glanced at the sun and sighed again, "But that must be for next time we meet. I must meet Mother at the city gates… Would you be so kind as to escort me to my destination?" As he asked, he held out his arm in invitation. Nervously, I accepted. "Very well… Prince Alvar, it would be my pleasure." Time had never passed so quickly and before I knew it we were at the gate marking the city limits, just as the Queen arrived. "Ah, my Son, I see that you are prepared to return home. But what _is_ that riff raff doing with you!?", "Nothing Mother, just being a good subject and not leaving my presence without permission", he replied smoothly. I nearly gasped in outrage but the look he sent me warned against it. And with that, he left without so much as a glance back, though Killian did stop and say good-bye, and that he knew the Prince wished he could do the same; and then he too, left, leaving me alone, just as I had always been.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**CRASH Thump Thump Thump **My eyes flew open and my hand clamped over my mouth. I took a moment to gather my wits and sighed. '_How bothersome, the army is doing a surprise examination again' _Some dirt fell on my nose and I lazily brushed it off. I played eeny-meeny-miney-moe for a second then decided to go watch the torture. It was going to be slow day anyway because Birdy was working with her mother for the day. I clambered out once the thumping and crashing stopped, glanced side to side then darted up the side of a tree to watch the fun.

Inside the courtyard the soldiers were blearily falling into line while another harsh looking guard, of a fairly large size_, 'much like Killian'_ I reflected, then bashed my head on the tree, I had promised myself that I wouldn't think about that day from weeks ago. Regardless, this guard was pacing wide-awake barking scalding remarks at the lumps in armor.

"You worthless garbage disposals had better get your act together! What would happen if someone were to attack early in the morning? Then where would we be, would you let Their Majesties die just so you can get your beauty sleep!?" There was a lot of mumbling as the soldiers shuffled around, but their backs were noticeably straighter. "Now we're going to go down the line each of you will be given one chance the verdict will be pass or fail. If you fail then you will be removed from the Guard!" I shoved back a giggle as all of them snapped fully awake and as straight backed as they could get.

I watched as he went down the line and as each man lost they got a depressed look about them. However, from my vantage point I could see the gleam in the examiner's eye and knew that the test was not win or lose. Silently I chuckled at the depressed guards. Finally the man at the end of the line lost to the examiner and all of the soldiers looked at the ground expecting a rebuttal, when nothing happened everyone, including me, looked at the man. He was not looking at the guards though, instead he was looking into my tree…. directly at me. Finally he opened his mouth, "Well come on, you can not escape the exam by climbing a tree, though that is a new one." He began to walk over towards me and as I stare at he trying to form a response he shook the tree and caught me. "Why are you not in your armor? Well, no matter here put this on."

Mindlessly I did as he said and began stuttering "Bu… but sir, I… I'm not …" He was having none of it. "Oh shut it now fight!" He wasted no time in attacking swinging his sword up high and coming down hard. Without even thinking I ducked and jammed the butt of the sword into his ribs and as he sucked in a gasp of breath I thrust a foot over and tripped him. Then as he fell, I set up my sword to be at his neck by the time he recovered. I was brought back to the world as the guards began clapping. Hastily I dropped the sword and backed up, I could feel tears gathering in my eyes as I backed up shedding the armor as I went. '_I am going to die he is going to get up and someone will mention that I'm not a guard and they will tie me up and send me to the gallows.' _I ran into a low hanging branch and fell over.

That was my breaking point it seemed, "I'm sorry I am so sorry I didn't mean to, it's just that you didn't give me a chance to explain and, and I'm sorry I'm sorry please don't kill me I don't want to die…." The words continued to flow out until he barked out a sharp, "SHUT YOUR MOUTH! Now Sean here has just informed me that you are not one of us," go figure I thought he didn't even hear me as I babbled… "And I have decided that since we cannot let someone with such skills go, so you will be my apprentice. Now Lad, since you're going to be living with me for a long while, let me introduce myself and I expect the same in return. My name is Kato and I am the Master of the Guard, as well as the prince's secondary guard in times of strife. Now you Lad."

'_Oh thank you he thinks that I am a guy, so unless he is very odd, he is sincere in his offer…'_ "Oh, yessir, my name is Mi…nt."

"Mint? What an odd name, is it short for anything? Perhaps your parents call you something else?" I began to get angry at his assumption; I know that it is irrational to get angry when he doesn't even know that I didn't have any parents. "I wouldn't know if they ever did," I said curtly, "I am an orphan, I never had any parents."

"I am sorry, I didn't know," and he did look sad so I let it go. Instead I chose to remind him of the examination "Sir, should you not continue with the examination? The Guards are on the verge of passing out…"

He looked _surprised_ then laughed, "Well Lad, it appears that you will be useful in more that one way!" He turned to the Guards, "All right ya cowards! You all pass; you get to keep yer jobs! You're all up to snuff though don't take that to mean that you can be lazy, keep up the good work! You are dismissed for the day!" A great cheer rose up from the Guards and they quickly scattered, afraid that their off time would be rescinded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

After the soldiers left Commander Kato turned towards me and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Y'know, I forgot to consider that you might have other obligations…. You don't do you?" He had the strangest puppy eyes I had ever seen, but he seemed so much like a street kid that I couldn't help but laugh.

"I have no other obligations but I must hear what apprenticeship entails, and _if _I were to accept I would need to tell my friend." He nodded quickly, like a little kid who would do anything for a treat.

"Of course, of course. Well, details then, essentially I would be training you and refining your skills, you would be with me all the time, though you would get a separate room. You would be with me during all my duties and as long as you are on your best behavior you will be regarded as a mini and as a future Commander."

'_WOW!_' was all I could think; I mean this had to be illegal or something. "Are you sure that you are allowed to do this? I mean you know nothing about my past and regardless it'd be raising a commoner up higher than most people ever get…" He was having none of it "Of course Lad! I simply couldn't let you go not with the natural talent you have! Now do you accept or not?"

"Alright sounds like a deal from heaven, but tell me can I expect your split personality to show up often?" He laughed and followed me out of the training yard. "Tis part of the job young'un, I can't let the lads think that I'm soft. Now we should be off to pick up your belongings…"

"I have none, so don't worry about it, look why don't you let me run my errand and meet me at the gates in one hour." I really didn't want to show up at Birdy's with a Guard following me much less a Guard Commander. I raced off before he even had a chance to reply darting through alleyways and to the top of the buildings.

I practically out raced the horses with the speed I went down the road and out of the main city. I flew down the road and fell over at Birdy's door, made more noise than I had intended to because Birdy's mom came and opened the door before I had gotten up again. "Oh dear! Mitsu are you all right? You scared us a lot racing up like that!"

"Sorry Ma'am I didn't mean to scare anyone, but I'd really like to speak with you and Birdy if I could." I stood back up and at her gesture walked into the house, she led me to the living room and offered me a seat "I'll go get Birdy then you tell us what you need to." I closed my eyes and rested for a little while.

When Birdy and her mom returned I was up and perky again. "Well dear," Birdy's mom started, "what do you need to tell us?"

I hesitated a moment the blurted "I wont be around for a long time I might not ever live in the city again."

"WHAT!?! But Mitsu you can't go you're my friend and if you go I won't know anyone anymore!" Birdy burst out.

"Birdy hush. Mitsu dear, why? Did something happen?" They both looked at me with worried expressions.

"Oh no! Nothing bad! This morning I was watching the Guards examination and the examiner saw me, but he thought that I was one of the Guards trying to avoid the examination, and then before I knew what was happening he attacked and I beat him. Next thing I knew he was declaring that I was his new apprentice, I've agreed and now I have to go live with him."

"But dear that's improper a young girl living with a man she's not related to!"

"NO! You can't go live with someone else, I won't let ya!" The responses were immediate.

"Well, first of all, he thinks that I am a guy named Mint, and well, I will visit as often as I can alright?"

Birdy's mom looked fairly annoyed. "Mitsu, Dear… you should be more offended, though you do look rather flat with that baggy shirt and all the dirt. But with proper food that will change do you really expect to keep your gender a secret for forever?"

"It's either this, die, or live in hiding even more than I am now! Look I only came here to tell you that I am leaving I will visit as often as I can and that's all I have to say!" I stood up patted Birdy on the head then walked out the door substantially angrier than I had entered.

I didn't hurry back down the road, but only made it to the gate a little bit after the promised hour. "Well how did your visit go?" I glared at him and gestured for him to lead the way. "Y'know its better to get something off your chest if you are angry otherwise it festers. I did not mean to be a bother." I simply shrugged knowing that no matter how friendly you do not say something foul to your master and if I had opened my mouth, it probably would have been rude. "G'day t' ya C'mander nice a ya ta visit our fair city." "And Good Day t' you as well Master Gateman, we're simply headed to the palace."

"O'course C'mander" He opened the gate fairly quickly and we were on our way.

After a good ten-minute walk I decided to speak, "It is nothing against you, you know."

"I know Lad, what upset you so?" he gently prodded.

"It's nothing, really. I decided to tell my friend that I wouldn't be around for a while and her mother, who takes care of me a little at least, blew her fuse at me. She could have at least been grateful that I didn't just decide to disappear. I suppose that it is only upsetting because she is the only one who has ever given a rat's hind-end whether I lived or died."

"Aye Lad, that is difficult, but no matter, next you see them everything'll be right as rain and she'll be unable to leave your side." He gently patted my back and led me into the palace, making sure to keep his hand on my back as we walked down the halls. He showed me to the room I was to be given and ordered me to 'take a bath and get a good nights sleep.'

"Now Lad, I expect you to be up before dawn looking awake and clean so we can get to work I'll have a set of clothes on the bed by the time your out of the bath."

"Thank you very much sir I will be sure not to disappoint you."

"And no more of this 'sir' stuff got it? Call me Kato," he declared with a stern look and a twinkle in his eye.

"Yessir, erm… Kato," I shyly muttered then shut the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Just as the light of dawn began to peep over the horizon, I awoke by my internal measure of time, chirping as the birds do to greet the sun. I quickly raced to get dressed and find some bindings to erase all evidence of my femininity, meager though it is. I was fully prepared by the time the Commanders fist hit my door and I opened it before his fist could land twice. For my troubles I nearly received a fist to the face before he pulled back and whispered with a startled tone "Your ready all ready? I see I'm going to have to be on my toes to take you by surprise, well since I didn't expect you to be awake yet so I really have nothing for us to do for another half hour… Why don't we go to the front yard so that I can test your skills? After that we will come back inside and eat breakfast."

I was afraid I'd wake someone so I said nothing, just nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. Once we reached the courtyard he ordered me to run its boundaries fifty times, or until I could go no more. This task I found surprisingly easy and completed all fifty of the half-mile circle in no time, running through the city on a regular basis was good for me it seemed. He followed this with sets of fifty push-ups and sit-ups each, and then set me through several sword routines. I finished the sets no problem, and then discovered that I really had no idea what a basic sword routine consisted of, and was forced to admit defeat. The Commander was shocked then laughed with relief, "I had thought there was nothin' you couldn' do Lad! I'm grateful to see that you really are a normal person, not some sort of all knowing being." I just stared at him in confusion until he stopped laughing and began to show me all of the routines he expected me to learn, telling me that I had better memorize them, because he wasn't going to show me again.

I took him for his word and had them memorize the next day; unfortunately it took me a good week to get through all of them reasonably well. And so my days began to pass: mornings were exercises then we broke out fast; before lunch we would go on rounds, mostly these were just inspecting the troops and guards training, Commander Kato was always certain to have me participate in the archery practice; during lunch we would review paperwork and most of the afternoon he had me learning my numbers and writing reports for him to work on my penmanship; we would attend dinner and then finish the day with another set of practice, this time hand to hand. We continued on this pattern for just over two moons. Then I met someone who would add more work into my day, but who would also broaden my horizons farther than I had thought they would ever go.

I stretched and sat down next to Kato, I had already started eating when someone cleared their throat and I looked up. Sitting across from Kato was an elderly looking man staring straight at me. _'Great'_ I thought grumpily _'some old geezer who was either offended that I started eating before him or who is some sort of creeper. What's 'e want?' _I glared at him and waited for him to say something.

"You'll have to forgive young Mint; I kept him up late with training last night," Kato said, nudging me to be polite. I wiped the glare off my face but didn't say anything.

"Young… Mint, is it?" at my nod the old man continued. "Well, Mint, my name is Albert, and I am the castles resident Mage. Tell me young one, have you ever considered learning magic?" I promptly dropped the spoonful of soup I had been bringing towards my mouth and gaped at him. Magic? Me? I nearly scoffed at the very idea then shook my head as I recovered myself. "Well Lad, you have it running through you very strongly, would you consider learning at least?" He queried with a hopeful look on his face.

As I opened my mouth to tell him that I was already an apprentice, Kato quickly said, "Of course he will, won't you Lad? It will be a perfect complement to the skills that I am teaching him, what do you say I'll give him over to you… afternoons I think." He never even gave me a chance to answer and before I knew it, I was being dragged off by Albert.

We went down several hallways and up more flight of stairs then I had known existed. Finally, fed up, I had to say something "Sir, if I may ask… Where are we going? And I can walk on my own you know…" He looked startled and I realized that he had forgotten that he still had my hand.

"Of course, of course child, it should be right around this corner. Now when we get there I'd like to do a more thorough test of your magic to see what type you shall be learning. Oh this is so exciting! It has been ages since I've seen someone with a connection to magic so strong! Ah here we are now, sit there and I will be back in a moment"

'_Oh boy, is this guy 10 or what? He has more energy then Birdy does...' _I thought in exasperation as I waited for him to return. He came back with a mirror, a strange shiny whitish blue colored stone, a twig and a bird with a dislocated wing.  
"Now child this stone," he said while pointing, "is an opal, a stone that is highly useful to mages. It will act as a magnifier to force a magical reaction from you. Good now take it in your hand and study it, then tell me what it makes you feel." I did as he asked and picked the opal up and studied the way the light reflected off of it after a moment looked more deeply too study the lines that made their way through it. As I did so a strange warmth began to flood through me.

"It's as if I am being welcomed home, or how I imagine being welcomed home would feel. It seems to ask where I've been all this time. It's practically vibrating with excitement." I looked wonderingly at him. "Does magic always feel like this?" I asked.

"When you use it properly it will always feel like this, but the moment you try to overextend yourself it will turn fiery," he said seriously. "Now look into the mirror please, and tell me what you see."

I nodded, as a thief I had learned that all good things could become bad. I turned my focus to the mirror and wondered what exactly he wanted. "I see myself hmm, I guess my eyes are glowing a little, they seem almost purple how odd…" I looked up at him, and shrugged as if to say sorry.

The odd man smiled and said perkily, "Not divination then hmm? Well pick up the twig next, no need to say anything this time." Once again I did as he bid. This time though, when I picked up the twig, it started to sprout leaves.

"What the heck!?" I shouted as I hurriedly dropped it. The old man just laughed with delight.

"Nature it is! Excellent, excellent! Now, let your magic lead you in your action towards the bird."

'_What a strange man,' _I thought, _'he acts as though my magic had a life of its own… oh well'_ I looked at the bird and decided to try closing my eyes. Opal firmly in hand I shut my eyes, a strange purple light moved my hand to touch the bird and just as I was about to touch her I was engulfed by purple flame. Startled I opened my eyes and found myself face to face with the bird, which had grown to my size.

"What?!" I squawked then attempted to clap my hands to my mouth only to find that I could not and that they were if fact wings. Just as I began to enter full panic mode the mage jerked the stone out from under me and surrounded me with a blue flame that seemed to some from his skin. Slowly I regained my human form and as soon as I could I began to ask questions "What just happened? Was I really a bird? Was that supposed to happen?" I would have continued but Albert held his hand up to silence me.

"Yes, that was supposed to happen and yes, you were just a bird. Now would you like to hear what type of magic you shall be learning?" I nodded rapidly. "Very well you are what is known as a Nature Mage. Once you are fully trained, you will be able to grow plants at will, speak with animals as well transform into them, who knows you may even be able to hide your gender…"

'_That look in his eye spells disaster, I know it! Wait, what if he knows? Well, think Mitsu, he hasn't told anyone yet, or they would be here already. Maybe he will keep it a secret? Best not to mention it.' _Frenzied thoughts raced through my mind.

Once I had reached my decision I opened my mouth, "What happens now then?" I asked.

"You, my dear, are now both my pupil and Commander Kato's. However since your magic is untrained, I am going to request that your quarters are moved to the cottage out back, so that any outbursts you have will not harm anyone. After all, untrained magic is quite unpredictable." And that was that, he sent me to my quarters just in time to eat and train and after that I began the most intense training regiment of my life.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

As I look back on the time I have spent here, I find it hard to believe that I have been here for only a few months; it seems much longer. For whatever reason, my two teachers had decided that free time is bad, so I have had none since I got here. Over the time I've been here, I have not only come to almost master my magic, but I am now able to beat Kato…. I suppose I should elaborate there, not long after my dual training began Kato showed me that the test where I had knocked him flat wasn't even a fraction of what he could do.

I heard a scratching at my cabin's window, _'Darn bird, always so punctual'._ Shortly after I mastered my animal-communication I had rescued one of the hunting falcons from the mews. He had a unique condition that caused him to tremor when he was surrounded by other birds, unfortunately that meant that until I found a solution he would never find a mate. Regardless, he had become attached to me as I nursed him back into his proud state. So I suppose his help taught me two things. One: that I could not heal with magic, and two: I cannot stand to hear an animal in pain, because I know that they cannot save themselves the way humans can.

The tapping began again. "Fine I'm up, I'm up! You bloody bird" I grumbled. I flung the sheets off and marched over to the wash basin. I cleaned my teeth and washed my face, then stopped as I looked into the mirror. Almost immediately I rushed over to the full length one I had commandeered for my use, claiming I needed it to apply salves on the bruises I commonly found on my back. I stared once I got there, _'Wow, have I changed,'_ the thought hit me like a bolt of lightning. Gone was the scraggly black hair, instead my hair had a beautiful red sheen to it. Gone were the dirty grey eyes that I had once had, replaced by the two rubies that has resulted from my magic being accessed. Gone was the paisley skin that used to adorn my form, now I had a healthy tan and an actual shape, which I never could have gotten living on the streets. I shook myself, '_Really, how girly can I get... if I continue with this I will be late for morning practice.' _ I rushed to get dressed and complete my transformation into a guy's body. Then without further ado, I flew out the door with Ciara, the Falcon, trailing behind me.

When I reached the Courtyard I was greeting with a highly unusual and unexpected sight. Kato and Albert were both there, which had happened before, and so was not the cause of my surprise. No, the reason for my surprise was the two extra people standing with them. Next to Kato stood his brother, Killian, who I had not seen since our encounter in the city, and Prince Alvar, who I had never expected to see again despite living in the very castle that was his home.

"Mint! There you are lad, you're LATE!" bellowed Kato, in the same voice he had used on those Guards all those months ago. I did nothing, it was if I had been struck dumb and I simply stood there, just in front of the fence.

"Child, please come back to yourself," came Albert's calm voice, normally this was enough to bring me back, and indeed I began the process, but I did not recover as quickly as I usually did. Unfortunately for me Ciara is not a patient bird and proceeded to bite my ear from her perch on my shoulder.

For a moment I continued standing and staring, then "ARGH!! Ciara you blasted bird!" I screeched, bringing my hand up to my now bleeding ear. I heard a guffaw from the other side of the courtyard and looked up a sharp retort on my tongue, until I noticed that it was the Prince who had released the sound. My voice died on my tongue and I made my way across the courtyard to bow before the prince, as I should have to begin with.

As I stood before the prince in submission, he watched me, slowly I felt a blush begin to cover my face _'Dang, was he like this when I met him as a girl? What is he doing that is taking so long?' _I thought in frustration. Finally Kato coughed and the prince hurriedly spoke, "You may rise, Young Apprentice." I came very close to snapping back with a biting reply when I notice that his face was just about as red as mine. We took one look at each other, and burst out laughing. As we laughed the other three glanced at each other and nodded. Then, as soon as we had finished Kato began to speak. "Mint, look at me for a moment please. Good, now can you guess why I have gathered us all here? Speak your thoughts aloud please."

"Alright Kato, well I could have something to do with the note of Challenge the King received yesterday. Hmm, a note of challenge would insinuate strained relations and that means that war is likely nearby. That would mean that… " I trailed off and looked at Ciara, the falcon had been shifting on my shoulder to get my attention, as soon as I did she informed me that in mere moments we would have an observer not permitted to know what I was about to say. "That you simply wanted introduce me into what the other half of your duties are, correct?" As I spoke I darted a glace off to the side that I knew he would see. I watched as understanding crossed his face and as soon as I was done speaking he responded before the prince could even open his mouth

"Heh, right as always Lad, though I suppose I overreacted a bit. Why don't we all go inside for breakfast, Your Majesty?" He gestured towards the door and gave the Prince a pointed look that only a friend could ever get away with. The prince nodded and began to lead the way. As we walked he called a servant over and requested breakfast for five to be brought to his private study. He led us all though the hall without getting lost once, and I admired his poise, _'Most people never even learn to deal with the unexpected, the King certainly doesn't know how.' _ Indeed the Kings fits of temper over the unexpected were known throughout the lands. As we reached the proper door I stepped forward without thinking and in one movement, opened the door and soothed the warning spells on it. After I had done it I froze and turned red, '_Darn my bothersome habits! Why, why, why did he have to train me in ward breaking?'_ I continued to curse myself silently as I bowed and held the door open, blushing the whole time.

Albert looked at me as he passed and chuckled, "Well done lad, be sure to replace them when we have all entered." I nodded, thankful that he was not angry. Once everyone was in, I turned and a ruby glow surrounded the door.

"Now will you tell me why all of a sudden we had to come here instead of stay outside?" the Prince demanded fiercely.

"We had a watcher," stated Kato in his usual blunt manner. "But no matter. Mint, you are aware that the King received a message the other day, and you are aware of the connotations for the kingdom. However, what you are not aware of is that this means that I will need to spend all of my time with the Guard. Now this means that I will be unable to continue you training, nor will I be able to protect Prince Alvar…"

"An' tha' means you'll be accompanin' me in my duties protectin' Prince Alvar," finished Killian.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I apologise for this chapters lateness there were some editing issues. I have the next chapter all typed up, but the person who edited this chapter cannot help me with that any longer, due to school work. If anyone is willing to help me with editing plese contact me. I'm going to refrain from posting the next chapter until i do find someone.

**Chapter 6**

The next day when I woke, I went about my normal routine half asleep until I arrived at the courtyard. I was jolted out of my morning haze by the fact that the courtyard was empty; I had never before managed to beat Kato there and wondered what could be holding him up. Rather than dwell on the fact, I chose to begin my morning warm up as usual. It wasn't until the sun had risen past the horizon that I realized that something was truly unusual. In a rush, the events of the previous day hit. I froze in mid kick, and fell over just in time for Killian to enter the courtyard. "'re you alrigh', Mint was it? Tha' looked like it hurt…"

I stared at him without comprehension for a moment before his words sunk in. To my shame, my face instantly lit up like a torch. "I am fine," I responded stiffly; then softening, I asked, "Where am I to meet you and the Prince from here on? It occurred to me mere moments ago that I unaware of the Princes usual schedule where you would be…"

"Tha's alrigh'. We ne'er tol' ya. Tha' would be why I came 'ere. C'mon." Killian gestured towards the door and started walking. For a couple minutes we stayed in familiar territory then he turned down a corridor that I had never been down, its appearance was nothing special, but everyone in the castle was aware that it led to the royal dining hall.

After a few more moments I decided to break the silence. "Killian, why are you permitted to keep your accent? It is just that I have heard that the queen is fairly picky about what people sound like around her."

"Tha' would be because I don' talk aroun' her. My job is ta guard, not talk. An' righ' now I am the most skilled guard in the palace, not ta mention most o' the time Prince Alvar tries ta keep away from her," he replied. Finally we reached the royal dining hall. "Alrigh' now, before we enter, I gotta tell ya: Don' talk and don' try ta eat anythin'. Now you'll be standin' t' the prince's left, four steps behind him, you got tha'?"

"Very well, I can do that," I replied feeling sweat start to gather on my hands. Killian opened the door and led me through the entire room to the head of the table. Once we got there I went to the spot that Killian had spoken about earlier, making sure to keep a calm façade. Inwardly, however, I was anything but calm. _'Alright Mitsu breath, think of guard practice- the lazy cows are probably slacking off without me.' _I smiled in my head and then frowned _'I forgot, they are drilling right now, while I stand here inside doing nothing…'_ I was pulled out of my thoughts as my stomach growled, protesting the fact that I had done all my exercises this morning and still wasn't feeding it. The prince glanced back at me amusedly and I fought the temptation to glare back at him by staring at the wall in front of me. '_Jerk!' _I thought, slipping into rudeness for a moment._ It's a normal human sound! Why does he have to laugh at me because of it…'_

Finally the prince finished and, after exchanging a few words with his mother, gestured for Killian and I to follow him out. Gratefully I thanked whatever deity was up there that we were leaving, for I did not think that I could have handled being surrounded by delicious smelling food much longer. Now that we were moving I had a chance to analyze the situation and place myself properly. I looked at Killian and all of a sudden his enormous stature struck me: next to him I looked like a servant and would probably go unnoticed. '_That's right, if there is a threat then naturally a visible guard is useless against an assassin.' _Quietly I focused on not being seen and after a brief glow of red I faded from notice.

The Prince stopped every so often to check up on a certain soldier's progress or to see if his mother had made any plans without informing him, but for the most part kept moving. Finally we reached the inner practice yards where the young knights all trained and here his entire body relaxed. Almost immediately he stripped off his court garments to reveal plain practice clothing underneath. As he walked towards the other nobles I flitted about for a moment listening to my stomach growl until, finally I clambered up a pole to perch on one of the jousting ring posts.

I watched the nobles and Killian joke around for a bit as they warmed up and began to spar when one of them suddenly said, "So Alvar, I hear that you got yourself a new guard- you ditch him already?" I was shocked at the informality for a minute, but then realized that this must be why he asked me to call him by his first name back when I met him as a girl; all his friends spoke to him informally outside of court.

"Yeah, he was assigned yesterday, Killian picked him up at the beginning of lunch, he's here somewhere…." He looked around with a slightly confused look on his face. When his gaze reached the pole I was on he passed them over, then visibly did a double double-take. The first time he looked back at me then moved on, looked again…. and I could take it no longer, the expression on his face combined with my nervousness hit, and I fell off of my perch laughing. That got everyone's attention. "There you are! Why didn't you say anything?"

I stood up still chuckling, released my magic, in doing so becoming visible, and finally looked at him and his companions. "You… you're face was… was so funny!" I stuttered trying to control my laughter. "Ahh, thanks it's been such a long time since I last laughed like that."

A very annoyed look crossed his face. "Guard, tell me why you hid your presence from your Prince."

The tension that had been in me since we entered the courtyard snapped and I exploded, momentarily forgetting that my current quarters depended on my position as a guard. "The heck?! I am pulled away from my training to guard your pathetic rear-end because people actually care about you and are afraid that you will be killed by a hidden assassin, and what do I get for it? I get yelled at for doing my job! Well, you listen here, if you wanted to know how I was going to do my job then you should have asked you stuck up little…. Argh!" I suddenly shut up realizing that I had been ranting. My face turned whiter than should be humanly possible and I immediately began a staring contest with the ground. '_Looks like I should have gone through "social etiquette" class before getting an assignment… I blame my response on spending more time with birds and crazy old men than with humans, but seriously, have I been away from the streets for so long that I forgot the golden rule? Treat everybody like a noble even if you do hate them… I am soo dead….' _"My apologies my Prince, I do not know how I could have said such things." I continued staring at the hard packed dirt and I fell into a soldier's "I am ready for punishment" stance as I had taken to calling it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Silence. Not a single sound rang through the yard for agonizing minutes. I continued my staring contest with the ground beneath the Prince's feet. Suddenly, a loud laugh from one of the Nobles caused everyone else to jump.

"Wow, you have such odd luck with guards, Al! First Killian and his accent, and now this guy! Ahh, how refreshing, what's your name kid?"

"Mint, sir, but I must confess some confusion. My actions were entirely inappropriate, why do you laugh?"

"Mint? Interesting name, I am Remington of house Le Beau. But please, just call me Remi. And I laugh, dear soldier, because it is funny! Everyone is always bowing down and fawning over Al like he is some kind of god, and I'm sick of it; he's a person too!"

"Aw, shut it Remi. You're just jealous because Alvar had more women falling at his feet than you do!"

"Well, of course, but you know that I have only the best intentions for dear Al. After all, what would we do if he got a big head? You agree, don't you, Charles?"

The banter kept up, and I took the opportunity to observe this group of nobles who had surprised me so. Remington, for it felt wrong to call him anything else, had rich, brown hair matched with light brown eyes that glittered with amusement. Charles had light-blond hair and deep-blue eyes – so deep that they were almost black. The other noble, who looked to be the youngest, had flashing, orange eyes that seemed ready to set you on fire should he wish it, which were partially covered by his bangs. His black hair was tied in a horse tail at the nape of his neck, in contrast to the others' hair whose were all cut short.

The youngest, who I had been examining, approached "Don't worry about them; Alvar isn't really angry, he was just shocked. But you might want to watch out; Remi seems to have decided that you are his new trainee, though usually he chooses a younger knight. Don't worry about it too much, but if you ever want to pass unnoticed, don't tell him you're there. And if he ever tries to ruffle your hair or something, its best to just accept it; he seems to think that anyone younger than him can be treated as an animal… My name is Trystan by the way"

"Ahh… umm. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I'm glad that they aren't angry but I just don't understand it; guards have been severely punished for much less." I shrugged feeling unusually at ease. '_At ease?! I forgot he had magic!'_ Franticly I shoved back with my own magic and sent him flying several feet back. As he hit the ground, the other knights turned towards us and it looked like they were about to draw their swords. Above me, Ciara gave a falcon's scream and dove towards Trystan, fluttering in his face as I calmed down. Finally, I realized what was happening. "Ciara, cease, he didn't do anything to hurt me. Calm down." Ciara broke off his attack and flew to my shoulder where he began to preen my hair as I walked forward towards Trystan and offered him my hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to react so violently. I only recently learned to control my magic, which is part of the reason I was assigned to the Prince."

Killian came charging over from where he had been at the gate "Wha' in th' blazes 'appened 'ere?!"

"Don't worry about it Killian. No one here was in true danger, though Trystan may have a few bruises…" I replied confidently.

The prince strode forward and gestured for Killian and me to follow "Hey guys," he called over his shoulder to the other knights, "stay here for a minute. I need to speak with my guards."

His friends just laughed and agreed, but told him that they wanted a chance to spar with us when we got back. Prince Alvar led us to a niche near the door leading back into the castle. "Very well, as you pointed out earlier I do not know why you were chosen to be my new guard, you will explain now," he ordered, his previously gentle blue eyes flashing like tempered steel. The affect was made even more effective as a breeze passed by us, lifting his raven hair up around his head just as you would imagine an angry god's hair would.

I bowed my head and began to speak, "Yes, sir. As you may have noticed Killian is a much more imposing figure than I am. This will cause people to brush me off as a servant, and that's if they even see me in the first place. You see, over these past months − ever since Commander Kato brought me here − I have been training in Battle and Subterfuge magic. I have command over fire, to some extent, and I suppose the rest mostly involves air. I can bend the air around me to either hid myself from most people's sight. Sometimes, I can listen to things far off, however, that one is unreliable. I also can use my magic to directly affect others, but usually that's just when I am frightened and it is always fairly draining. I also posses the ability to assume the form of another animal and if I focus on it and it is possible to touch it, I am able to communicate with them. I am very new to all of this, so my control isn't always steady, and I often drain myself too quickly, but if an assassin were to breach the walls, I would be able to take care of him quickly. I was chosen instead of the palace mage because I am younger and also trained in combat, even if my power is partially uncontrollable." I finally finished my monologue and realized that I had closed my eyes at some point. Hesitantly, I opened them to look at Killian and the Prince, only to see them staring at me as if I had suddenly grown an extra head. Worried that my magic might have done just that, I checked and sighed with relief when only my shoulder met my gaze.

Silence reigned for a couple minutes until, finally, the Prince blinked then said, "Did you know, when you get worried, you sound like a girl?" I blinked and shook my head looking relieved, "Well, no matter, it's just that you sounded fairly familiar. Regardless, let us return to the courtyard so that I may get some practice in before our instructor comes to check on us, if he decides to even show up today.

We went back to the courtyard, and Alvar joined his friends in a mock battle until Remington lost and approached the spot Killian and I stood. Cheerfully he gestured towards me and demanded that I take my sword and spar with him. On the other side of the yard, Alvar laughingly called that I had better just accept; otherwise, Remi would never shut up. Shrugging, I walked with Remington to the center of the yard and turned to face him.

"Rules?" I inquired.

"EH?! Who needs rules? Well fine, if you need a rule, were going to use blunt blades so that we will not injure each other too badly," and with that, he tossed me a practice blade and bowed to begin the match.

He attacked swiftly and without hesitation, aiming to disable me. Quickly, I darted to the side and towards him, ramming the sword into his gut as I passed under his arm. He gasped, but quickly spun around to land a hit on the back of my head, leaving a welt that traveled most of the way down my back as well. Without pause, I shifted my weight so that his momentum carried him over my head and onto his back in front of me. As my sword went to land near his throat, his came up to rest on mine and the match was called.

Charles came striding forward to help Remington up and patted me on the shoulder, "Congratulations on your tie, I guess they really are training guards better now."

"What do you mean?" I queried, not sure if I should be offended or not. _'Should I take that to mean that he expected me to be weak? But he could be complementing me too….' _

"It used to be that even a fully trained guard was no match for even a senior apprentice knight, but I can see that Kato has changed that. It is a good thing, knights will be more willing to work with regular soldiers and it is much less offensive to have a guard that can actually protect you," Charles replied nonchalantly.

"Forgive my impudence, but I take offense that you feel that an under-qualified guard would be given an assignment. The very definition of a guard is to protect, and if I can not stand up to my charge then how in Hades' bright realm would you expect me to be a match for his enemies?! ALWAYS assume that the enemy is compromised of intelligent people!... ... I apologize I did not mean to get carried away."

For a moment, he looked as if he wished to respond, but the look passed as a growl echoed out from my stomach. My face lit up like a candle, and I began to back up, an apology on my tongue, when Remington jerked away from Charles, who had been waiting for Remington to support himself, and marched up to Prince Alvar angrily. "You didn't let him eat did you?! How could you do that he is clearly a growing boy!"

Alvar looked amused and Trystan glanced at me with eyes that said 'see I told you, it's like all of a sudden you're helpless'. "It is just about lunch time, so how about we head in, Al? That way, you can make sure your new pet eats properly, right Remi?" Charles piped up amusedly.

"I do agree we have been out here for some time, I hadn't realized that the morning had passed, since the instructor didn't show up again, look the lunch bell is being rung as well." Alvar agreed.

Nodding in agreement, the group of knights packed up and headed for the soldiers' dining hall as Killian and I followed closely behind. "Is Alvar not going to eat with his family again?" I asked Killian.

"Nah, 'e likes ta eat wi' 'is friends for lunch an' dinner since their instructors insist on lessons after both." He replied, "An' besides, this way, we can eat too."

I nodded thankfully as Killian and I filled our trays with food. "Killian, I just realized. What will we do while the Prince is in his lessons? Surely his instructors would not like us in the room with them…"

Killian smiled, "Nah, we'll be workin' outside, to practice, Alber' tol' ya tha' you'd be continuin' yer studies righ'?"

Prince Alvar leaned forward. "Wait, you are being trained by Albert himself? I've never heard of him accepting a student before. Every time my father tried, Albert always said that he just didn't have the patience to teach!"

"Have you ever spoken to Albert? He is extraordinarily impatient and hates being told what to do! Actually, he didn't give me a choice about whether I wanted to learn magic. He met me on the first day I spent in the castle, and he practically dragged me from the dining table to test my magic, AND he didn't even tell me that I had magic in the first place. I suppose my point is that you two wouldn't have gotten along anyway. Even if he had accepted you as a student, he would have resented being told to teach you and probably would have been a very harsh teacher," I explained in between bites. The rest of lunch was spent in silence as we finished eating, and the silence continued as we walked down the corridor towards his classroom.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I realize this one is short after such a long time, but I hope to have the next chapter out before July finishes and a good deal longer than this one. I apologize for the wait, Enjoy!

**Chapter 8**

Once we had left the Prince in his class, Killian made good on his promise of practice and led us through the hallways to the courtyard that had served as my training grounds since my arrival. Just as we were beginning to go through one of the sword dances I was being taught, a messenger came racing through, heading toward the throne room.

Killian glanced towards me "Mint, I thin' it'd be best if ya were ta stay outside th' classroom, 'least 'til we know wha' tha' was abou', a messenger movin' tha' fast is ne'er a good sign." I nodded and re-entered the maze of hallways to pick my way towards the classroom that held the prince.

'_I didn't know that people could move that fast, I hope this doesn't mean an actual WAR has started… Dang it! Stuff like this never occurred to me back on the streets!' _I sat beside the classroom door and began to worry. Slowly, I took a deep breath and decided to ignore it. Carefully, I opened my palm and stared into it, focusing on gathering my power there as a control exercise. For an hour straight, I did nothing but watch the red ball that was my power grow and shrink as I worked on my control.

Finally, the door opened and out came the young knights. Looking toward me, Prince Alvar asked, "Mint? Where is Killian, and why are you sitting? Don't tell me that you have been there since class began!"

I smiled and rose from my seat "I have been here for most of your class; however, that is not important. Sir, your father, the King received an urgent message, and Killian and I felt it prudent for me to be here to guard you while Killian worked to discover what was so urgent." As I finished, we heard heavy steps, steps that unmistakably belonged to Killian.

"Th' King be callin' fer ya Prince Alvar, and Mint too. Its abou' th' messenger tha' came." Killian stated hurriedly, almost as if his fast speech would make us move faster.

"Understood. Mint, follow me," he paused and looked at his friends. "I will meet up with you later." Withdrawing from the others, the Prince, with Killian and I in tow, began striding down the corridor at a pace that could no longer be called walking.

When we reached the door to the King's reception chamber, Prince Alvar stopped and stared at the door, thinking. '_I wonder why he seems so confused, a reception chamber should be normal, but his stance says that it's not…'_ I debated whether or not to ask aloud, finally deciding to, and hoping I wouldn't be overstepping my boundaries, I asked "My Prince, is something wrong? We should hurry so as to not make the King wait…"

The Prince nodded and replied distractedly "Father dislikes the reception chamber; he says that a king should not keep his meetings a secret from his people…" That said, he hesitantly went to the door and knocked. The King called for us to enter, and the Prince nervously did as he was bid gesturing for me to follow.

Once inside, I glanced about and saw the signs of disuse, the King was seated at the far end of the room. His face held worry lines, and his posture was slumped ever so slightly, he beckoned us close and bade us to take a seat. Through the entire process, I could see the Prince become more and more nervous, and I began to feel antsy as well.

The King began to speak as soon as we had settled, "Thank you for arriving so quickly. As your guard may have informed you, a messenger has recently arrived. The news he has brought with him is most unsettling, and I must soon leave for the main army. It would seem that the undead creatures who have been threatening our borders have gathered enough strength to launch an attack. Already, our westernmost city Silverthorn has been taken over, all of its occupants converted or in a true death. This threat can not be ignored and the state of security around you shall be increased until such a time comes that you must, and can, join me." He turned towards me now, "And thus, I am brought to the reason I called you as well. Your name, please?"

"Mint, sir, apprenticed under Master Albert and Master Kato, who, under orders from yourself, chose me to be an invisible guard for your son," I said, grateful that Albert had taken the time to educate me on the proper formal introduction, specific for my case, due to the fact that mine was unlike any others at the moment.

"Very well, Mint, you shall be taking up residence in the room adjoining my son's. Your duties shall remain the same. However, they shall be extended to all day and all night until otherwise notified." He face transformed to reveal the face of a worried father, not just a king wishing for his heir's continued health. "I ask you this not only as your King, but also as a Father. Guard my son well."

His plea reached my thief heart, and I could do nothing more than nod. '_This is the_

_man who has captured the hearts and, with them, the loyalty of all who reside in this Kingdom, this is the reason people who come from the farthest reaches of the kingdom, speak of him as their King and not simply the man who make the laws that govern them.'_ Shame began to gnaw at my being and I lowered my head in recognition to the emotion, and in obedience to my King. Finding my voice, I murmured "Yes, Sire, I shall guard him with every piece of my being."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I apologoze for the doubled time it took to get this out and how short it is. College classes start tomorrow and the time I would have originally used to write, my computer(and thus my story's data) spent in a Computer hounds office, he had it for a month and a half. I will try to be better, but I have learned to promise nothing.

**Chapter 9**

Moving into the room next to the prince's was interesting, to say the least, particularly since it turned out that it was only accessible through his room. Killian told me that before the prince was born, they had thought that he would be female and assigned him a room with an adjoined sitting room. '_Really,' _I thought sulkily, _'the King should have just told me that I would be living in essential the same room as the Prince…' _Though I did realize that while_ I_ was hyper-aware of how near I was to the Prince, a male guard would not be. I was grateful to be given a position as the prince's personal guard, different from what I had been before because, at that point, I was simply assigned to protect him during the day. Now I was protecting him, and only him, all day, every day. One problem I now had was my morning ritual, though I hadn't realized at first what a problem my disguise would be, and I hoped with all my might that no one would attack at night.

I woke up, as usual, an hour before dawn and went to get ready for the day. Blearily, I opened my door, briefly wondering why it was closed, but shrugging it off, I began to head towards the wash basin. About halfway across the room, the prince began to wake up and stretch. I froze, but quickly snapped out of my sleepy state and quickly began to panic as I realized that it would be very hard to mistake me for a boy in my sleepwear. Quickly, I ran back to my room and shut the door as the prince finally moved to sit. '_Oh shit, that was close,' _I scolded myself, _'stupid, stupid, stupid, how could I do something like that? My life would be over had he woken up just a moment sooner.' _My gaze went over my room until it landed ona basin not far from where I sat. As soon as I realized what it was, I glared at the offending object that had cause my panic. '_Ugh, you're kidding. I had one in here? I can't believe I forgot that easily.' _However, as I berated myself, I walked towards it and began to clean up. Once finished, I looked into the small mirror behind it I concentrated on my male appearance, sliding it into place as if it were a piece of clothing.

Once finished, I stood by the door, listening for sounds from the other room. Once all cloth sounds had ceased, I opened the door to stand by his door, prepared to leave as soon as he was ready. Prince Alvar looked at me blearily and began walking towards the door. As we walked down the corridors, I began to realize that my Prince was not awake yet. Hesitantly, I tapped him on the shoulder and suggested that we go eat breakfast as he turned to go in to the wrong hallway for the third time. Finally, we made it, and I watched a Prince Alvar retrieved his food and settled down gratefully.

As I sat down next to Trystan, he turned to me and whispered, "How in the world did you get him here like that? He has the worst sense of direction in the morning!" I glanced at him bemusedly.

"I know. He tried to turn into the servants' quarters, the classroom corridor and the mage quarters before I realized that he wasn't awake yet." As breakfast continued, I watched as the Prince's eyes gained some clarity. By the time everyone was done eating he was chatting happily with everyone at the table, much to the amusement of his friends and myself. Looking back, it's hard to believe that we could be so carefree and unburdened.


	10. AN and apologies

Hey everyone, first I have to thank everyone who has kept watching this story and I must also apologize for leaving this without a word for so long.

Unfortunately being a Junior in College with an overload of courses, I no longer have the time, energy or inspiration to continue this story. If anyone wishes to adopt it, Please email me. For anyone who is interested, I would like for the quality to remain at or above where it is, that is to say, proper grammar, spelling and sentence structure and flow. I know that I am not exactly a great writer but I did pride myself in having these things in my story to the best of my ability and would hope that those things can be continues.

Once again, I sincerely apologize for the wait and if this got anyone's hopes up for this being continued.

Thank you for everything,

Rune The Secret Child


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